Wire-grip.



Patented Aug. 28, I900. H. A. MOSSMAN.

WIRE GRIP.

(Application filed May 2, 1900.)

(N0 Modal.)

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" Nrrnn STATES HARRY A. MOSSMAN, OF MANDERSON, SOUTH DAKOTA.

WIRE- GRIP.

SPEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 656,993, dated August28, 1900.

Application filed May 2, 1900.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HARRY A. MOSSMAN, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Manderson, in the county of Shannon and State of SouthDakota, have invented a new and Improved Wire-Gripper, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in wire-grippers particularly forgripping and stretching fence-wires; and the object is to provide agripper of simple construction in which a wire of any size may betightly held without danger of slipping either lengthwise or laterallyof the gripper.

I will describe a wire-gripper embodying my invention, and then pointout the novel features in the appended claim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings,forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a gripper embodying my invention. Fig. 2 isan edge view, and Fig. 3 is a section on the line 00 as of Fig. 1.

The gripper comprises a stock or body plate 1, and from the stock orbody portion a tang 2 extends rearward and is provided with an eye 3, inwhich a stretching device may be engaged. The part of the tangcontaining the eye is preferably offset or raised, so as to bring theeye in line with the longitudinal center of the j aws,to be hereinafterdescribed, whereby a straight pull may be had. EX- tended at rightangles from the stock or body plate at each side are cheek-plates 4c 5,converging toward the forward end. Extended inward from the cheek-plate4. is a guideplate 6, and extended inward from the cheek plate 5 is aguide-plate 7. Movable against the inner surfaces of the cheek-plates 1and 5 and underneath the guide-plates 6 and 7 are clamping jaws S and 9.These clampingjaws are substantially wedge-shaped and have theiradjacent edges serrated or provided with teeth to grip the wire. Toprevent the jaws from being detached by rearward move ment, I providestop-lugs 1O 11, which are formed on the stock or body plate at the rearSerial No. 15,226. (No model.)

ends of the cheek-plates, as plainly indicated in Fig. 1, and to preventthe jaws from being removed by forward movement I provide the rear endof each jaw with an outwardly-extended flange 12, adapted to engage withthe rear ends of the guide-plates 6 and '7. A stop plate or lug 13extends forward from the guide-plate 6 and is curved transversely of thedevice to extend over the adjacent edges of the gripping-jaws. This stopplate or lug is designed to prevent a wire from being detached from thedevice by lateral movement in one direction, while the stock or bodyplate will prevent said lateral detachment in the other direction.

In operation the jaws are to be opened by moving them rearward. Then thestop plate or lug 13 is to be placed over the Wire, causing the wire tomove between the jaws. After this the jaws are to be moved forward, andtheinclined cheek-plates obviously will cause the jaws to move towardeach other as they are moved forward to grip the wire. Then by means ofa suitable stretching device drawing upon the gripper longitudinally thewire may be stretched, and the greater the pull on the device thegreater will be the clamping effect of the jaws upon the wire.

When it is desired to remove the gripper from a wire, a slight tap onthe forward ends of the jaws will cause them to release their hold.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent A wire-gripper, comprising a stock or body portion,convergent cheek-plates on opposite edges of the stock, jaws movableagainst said cheek-plate, guide-plates extended from the cheek-platesover the jaws, and a stop-plate extended from one of the guide platesover the two jaws and terminating forward of the other guide-plate,substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

HARRY A. MOSSMAN.

Witnesses:

E. G. BErrnLYoUN, L. S. BEAR.

